Last Sunday, the second edition of the King of the Mountains Centurion Commander tournament took place, this time as a level 1 tournament. The Level 1 is a type of big tournament of this format where the winners will get access to the Level 2 ones. I was there also as an organizer and not only as a player; but, thanks to the help of the Judge and my brother as co-organizer, I was able to fully enjoy the tournament.
For Centurion Commander, my main deck is Wilson and so for this tournament I decided to bring him. Not many changes to the list but I decided to play an Endurance, replacing Chart a Course. Chart was feeling lackish in the last tests while Endurace was another nice body to have on the field, while at the same time would help me against all the decks based on the graveyard that are going around lately.
You can click here to see my list.
We were 39 players! The highest number I ever had in a tournament organised by me! I was quite excited and nervous at the same time. We started playing after the announcement that we were going to have 6 Swiss rounds and the top8.
Match 1 vs Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
Game 1
He had a strong start with Hogaak down really early and hitting in my blind spot as I didn’t have a counter to stop him. Wilson, at the same time, is too little to be able to fully block with a combat trick and he is able to win the game with three attacks of his Commander.
Game 2
He starts trying to use Inquisition of Kozilek on me but I use Misdirection to force him to discard one of his cards. Unfortunately I’m also able to see that he has another discard effect in hand in the form of Brain Maggot and he casts it the following turn, stealing my Berserk. I start a race with Wilson while he is able to cast Hogaak and not having the Berserker hits me hard as I’m missing that extra damage to finish the game as I have to chump block with Wilson to not be knocked out by his Commander. I still have a possibility to go for the win with Brazen Borrower as I have enough pump spells in hand to be able to go lethal, but he plays Birds of Paradise that completely stops my race.
0 wins – 1 loss
Match 2 – Bye
1 win – 1 loss
Match 3 vs Jeska, Thrice Reborn / Reyhan, Last of the Abzan
Game 1
I have a strong start with Wilson that immediately puts him on the defensive but I’m able to counter the right spells at the right time and set up a race that finds almost no resistance. I won the first game quite quickly.
Game 2
He has a strong start setting up a nice race with Reyhan and Bloodhall Ooze. I try to counter-race with Wilson but he is able to destroy my Commander with Abrupt Decay in a spot where I don’t have protection spells. This leaves the board free for him to beat me down.
Game 3
He immediately removes my Wilson with Abrupt Decay and so I have to start a race with Brazen Borrower, Endurance and Subtlety. He uses Jeska as a removal and to ping me down while also slowing down my race with Klothys. I draw too many lands and I don’t see enough counters and he is able to play Caves of Chaos Adventurer getting the initiative. We trade blows, passing around the initiative and we get to the point where each of us could go down pretty easily. I can get the initiative back and then completely phase out his board with March of Swirling Mist but… he plays a Bird of Paradise that is able to stop my Brazen Borrower. He deals me five damage with the initiative and then finishes me off with Klothys’s ability.
1 win – 2 losses
Match 4 vs Magda, Brazen Outlaw
Game 1
I Stifle his fetchland and then I feel safe enough to tap out for Wilson… but he punish me with a Pyrokinesis casted for free and using his two mana to pay for Wilson’s Ward and removing my commander. He plays a Tangle Wire slowing both of us down, but I’m drawing many lands and it ends up giving me the perfect spot to play a Oko, without having him immediately menaced by a horde of dwarfs. I use Oko to private Magda of all her abilities and then I re-cast Wilson and start a race with him and two Oko’s Elks. He isn’t able to stop me as I’m going full control and I finish him with one of my pump spells.
Game 2
I starts the game with a lot of Dwarves and, despite a first counter on Magda, he recasts her and gets far ahead in the game. My Wilson isn’t big enough to block effectively and so I end up losing the game.
Game 3
I start a race with Wilson after countering Magda, making it unblockable. I try to close the game faster by casting Embiggen on Wilson but he tries to remove it with Lightning Bolt but I prevent it by casting a kickered Vines of Vastwood. I have a Snapcaster Mage and he passes his turn with full mana open.I draw Scale Up and I use it to finish the game, going lethal for the exact damage I need.
2 wins – 2 losses
Match 5 vs Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
Game 1
I have a really powerful start and after forcing him to chump block, I deal a lethal attack on my turn four with Unstable Mutation, Giant Growth and Berserk. A really quick game where I was able to control the board in the first turn and then immediately go for the win.
Game 2
I have a race that is too slow and I have to focus on controlling the game and I have to counter too many things. He is able to cast The Meathook Massacre and then follows it up with Elas. I try to race back with Wilson but he is also able to remove it and block me from winning as I don’t have enough mana to get it back and the pinging he is doing with his Commander and the enchantment is too much for me being able to race with my other creatures.
Game 3
I was pretty nervous about this game because we were reaching the time limit but I knew that I could still win with my Commander. I go full offensive with Spectral Flight and Unstable Mutation on Wilson setting up a race that could give me the win in a few turns. He probably panics and uses a Tragic Slip on Wilson without having mana to pay for the Ward… but I panic the same and I don’t notice this, ending up using a Force of Will to counter it… we were totally dumb and dumber.
I top deck a land and I decide to attack… luckily he decides to not block with his 1/1 flying Spirit, probably feeling that it won’t make any difference thanks to Wilson’s trample, and I cast Become Immense, going lethal for exactly 21 Commander Damages.
3 wins – 2 losses
Match 6
My last opponent was a friend and he had a better rating than me and a better possibility to reach the top 8, so I decided to give him the win right from the start.
3 wins – 3 losses
Noit the worst result but it could have totally gone better. I guess I wasted all my luck the day before while testing where I didn’t lose even a single game. For sure Bird of Paradise was my bane lol
I was really glad that the tournament went well and everyone had fun; I was pretty anxious about having this big number of players for the first time but in the end there were no problems.
Raven の Nest 